This is who I am....

So, I have said before that I am nothing, if not passionate....about life, about God, about my career, and about...well just about anything I like or think I MIGHT like someday. I have a very obvious obsession er...."passion" that I was recently told I should blog about in the name of true transparency... So in an effort to please my fans..okay ONE fan..Fine, person who occasionally reads my blog when she clicks on the link by accident, I am going to reveal my deep-seated passion.

That's right....JEWELRY. Costume jewelry to be exact. I can't get enough of the stuff (obviously)...The girls at the "Dollar Jewelry Galore" know my name..embarrassing but true, I have even had to cut back on my trips since I had gotten to the point of keeping up with their shipment dates..and that was creepy, even for someone like me. 

I have been known to change my jewelry multiple times a day, just to "complete" a LOOK or give something PERSONALITY..I have gym jewelry, work jewelry, concert jewelry, jeans and t-shirt jewelry, evening out jewelry, and lots and lots of miscellaneous everyday jewelry.

This is who I am.

Yesterday, I would have told you I was simply a "big earrings" girl, but after doing inventory, I think that would be unfair to my comprehensive necklace and bracelet collections to simply call myself  an "earring" girl, when I am obviously so much more than that (although earrings are still my favorite--don't tell my bulky green necklace, we've had some good times together)

I am also an eternal optimist.

That's right...These are stragglers. Favorites at one time, that have lost a partner, but are ones I can't bear to get rid of because of my hope that the partner will appear someday. This is the true audacity of hope, people...trusting that an earring will come back. Faith in action my friends.....Much like Abraham, however, I have yet to see the fruit (yah, so what if I compared myself  and my search for prodigal earrings to the father of many nations....get over it)

This is REALLY who I am.

I also thought this might be a good opportunity to show you some of my more important pieces...

*Disclaimer (since I am sure someone will notice): my wedding rings are, of course, my most important pieces--however because they are typically on my finger and not in my jewelry box, I forgot to add them to this display. So I am telling you now, they are beautiful and meaningful and I love them.... blah blah blah..

This must be how celebrities feel when they win an Oscar and the press eats them alive for forgetting to thank their spouse. Whew.....it's exhausting.

Left to right: Heart necklace, cream necklace, flip-flop anklet, gold chain, class ring

Heart necklace: My husband's family (whom I love dearly) is country. And when I say "country" what I really mean is COUNTRY (yee-haw), so imagine my surprise when, the first year J and I were married, I had a small jewelry box under the Christmas Tree with "from Lou and DANNY" written on it..exactly like that. Story goes: My in-laws were Christmas shopping in Branson, when my father-in-law (above mentioned COUNTRY father-in-law) tells my MIL that they need to stop in a jewelry store to get me a necklace since I "loved jewelry so much" (observant fellow that he is...). After THREE jewelry stores in various outlet malls, he finds this heart necklace and decides that this is the right one for me. Touching, isn't it?? It certainly was for me. I wear this necklace often, and when I do, I think of my COUNTRY FIL stepping completely out of his element just to find me the perfect necklace...It means a lot me. It's very special.

Cream necklace: I don't even know what the stones are, but a few birthdays ago I got this necklace and a great (albeit smaller) pair of amethyst earrings for my birthday from my Mom and Steven. I think the necklace is supposed to enhance well-being, whatever it is...I don't know if it does that, but I know that I remember feeling so special when it was given to me, and thinking that I was really lucky to have family that loved me. I don't wear it often, because I am afraid of losing it or it breaking, and I would rather always have it and use it on special occasions than the alternative....But it's special nonetheless.

Flip-flop anklet: I should preface this by saying that I have never actually worn this. I have unusually thick ankles...like tree trunks...hateful people call them "cankles"...Okay, I call them that too but they're mine so it's different...It's just mean when you do it. Anyways, back to the anklet, it was given to my as a "gift" when I was maid of honor in a friend's wedding. It really didn't seem like a big deal then, in fact I don't even know for sure that she picked them out (she had a lot of "helpers" in her wedding) but now, when I look at this pretty blue flip-flop anklet that I have never and will never be able to wear, I remember her wedding day, and jumping in my car to go to the grocery store when the florist brought a ridiculous bouquet and all she wanted was three long-stem white roses....I remember the joy of watching a friend make a life-long commitment to the love of her life, I remember being hot and sweaty at the reception in my 18th century style dress...and that makes the anklet special. cheap, useless, but special.

**I should also note, in the name of transparency, that all  I gave my bridesmaids were candy necklaces (another passion for another post on another day) which we promptly used as garters....which we also forgot about until hours later--- into the reception-- when it came time for the garter toss and all I had on my leg was a melted, sticky candy necklace...that a high school boy from church caught...there is even a picture of a disgusted A.K. holding an even more disgusting looking candy necklace wondering why God would punish him in such a strange way--another proud moment of mine immortalized forever in photo...So while my friend left a memory on my heart which I can always be reminded of through her gift, all I left my bridesmaids were stained and sticky legs, disgusting-looking candy necklaces that could no longer be eaten and a sense of humiliation on my behalf as the aforementioned events unfolded....I''m not proud of those moments but...

This is most definitely who I am....

Gold chain: Recently my childhood BFF and I chose to drag our husbands along on a week-long cruise vacation..Sure, it was a great romantic getaway, but I think we both just wanted a chance to relive our "joined at the (much skinnier) hip* days. We took pictures, laid out by the pool, stayed up past our bedtimes, ate way too much....and got these "BFF" bracelets and anklets (sized to fit even the most cankle of ankles) and it just is special. We have had many, and I do mean MANY BFF necklaces over our 15 + year friendship but not in some time, so these were really special. Special because it reminds me of her and our life-long friendship, and also because it fits (which is nice)..I rarely wear it because it's a little big and, unless I am wearing sandals, it gets right at that point where my shoe meets my ankle--very uncomfortable--and if I were to lose it, there would no longer be two halves to our friendship chains....that would be tragic.

Class ring: I just want to say, if it weren't completely inappropriate at my age, I would still wear this ring every day. EVERY. DAY. I love this ring, I love everything about, from the starburst aquamarine stone, to the cross and megaphone on each side to it's lovely engraving..It's just a beautiful ring. It doesn't even represent the happiest, or most free time in my life...maybe for me, it's a reminder of how far I have come (pss..I NEVER wore jewelry in high school..and I mean NEVER..except for THIS ONE ring) and how much I have learned about who I really am..and while I am certainly not the same girl who designed what would signify her high school career with that ring, I would still say those are the best representations of who I have grown into, and I am proud of that....

The box is special too..The box was purchased during my trip to Brazzaville, Congo. I love that box...It's handcrafted and beautiful. And maybe someday, it will be my daughter's....

So  I might have a crazy obsession with all things gaudy with regard to jewelry and I may have a problem with regard to my constant trips to the Dollar Jewelry Galore, but I love my jewelry (ALL of it), I love that I can wear it proudly (whether it's really in style or not..pshh..style schmyle) and I love who I am.....so, since you asked...

This imperfect, hopefully-not-finished-becoming-who-I-end-up-being, loudmouth, jewelry-wearing fool, is happy with who I am......

Til next time,

Ash